Blogs from Pierre, South Dakota, United States, North America

Day 2: Fort Pierre National Grasslands, 20 miles south of Ft. Pierre, South Dakota As previously mentioned, Sophie (le dog) and I had, in just 24 hours gone from the city of big shoulders to the middle of South Dakota. I had made a good dinner, consisting of Zataran’s cheddar rice, dried Trader Joe lentils, and peanuts, drizzled with hot sauce. Excellent, and really allowed me to think seriously about lying down on a grassy bed. I had repacked the truck twice, taking a general inventory and bringing some needed items closer to the back. I now had enough room to work of the back tailgate. One item about the west is how quickly the weather can changed. The hot sun and dry conditions produces quick weather—I’ve seen a 30 degree change in temperature. During the ... read more

These are some of the places we visited while staying at Oahe: Oahe Chapel (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) - In 1874, Reverend Thomas L. Riggs, a Congregationalist minister and his first wife, Cornelia Margaret Foster, established the Oahe Mission to serve the Sioux Indians of central South Dakota. It was built on the site of an old Arikara Indian village called Ti Tanke Ohe, later shortened to "Oahe." The name of the mission was eventually given not only to the mission, but also to the dam and lake that now cover the site. In the beginning, a log house was the center of the mission. By 1877, the house had become too small, and the Indians agreed to help Reverend Riggs build a chapel, which was finished by September of the same ... read more

These are some photos of the RV Park where we are staying at Oahe Downriver State Park. It is one of three campgrounds located within the state park. It is campground #3 and is the smallest of the three. Since we are volunteers, we are on a site that has full hookups (electric, water and sewer). However, the only other site to have full hookups is the one which will be used by the Campground Hosts, all the other campsites have only electricity. The Campground Hosts are not here yet, but should be coming in around the middle of May. Since our electric hookup provides 50 amp service, we are able to use any and all appliances we choose at the same time - lights, heaters, washer/dryer, microwave, whatever. When there is only 30 amp service, ... read more

Got back from a trip to South Dakota late last evening. On the agenda was a stayover in Pierre, SD where I had a couple hours to drive around the city. I have been to Pierre several times but it's been a year since my last visit. The town is experiencing a little bit of a building boom with some new retail and housing being built. For a capitol city, it's a small city (about 14,000); however, it is extremely pretty. According to wikipedia, Pierre is one of only 5 state capitols which is not served by an interstate highway system and it is about a half hour from the interstate. There are lots of open areas on the Capitol grounds with various state building located around it. Several memorials, statues and fountains make up the ... read more